The founders of this nation feared a centralized government since the English Crown controlled all that the colonies could do and that fact brought about the American Revolution. Thus, a government composed of decentralized power was ultimately formed. The principle for the type of government can be found in the scripture when the creation and operation of the church is studied. Each congregation spoken of in scripture was autonomous; meaning that there wasn’t any world headquarters, man made council or board to which the individuals had to answer; their guide was the Word of God which applied to each and every congregation. That ensured that the freedom and liberty necessary to serve God could be individualized to fit the particular circumstances of each group of believers; but not to the ignoring of the standards found in the scripture. While the God instructs us what to do, he doesn’t tell us how to do it physically or by using some formula.

In like manner, the Constitution provides for a measure of autonomy for the states through the Ninth and Tenth Amendments. Congress is limited by Article I, Section 8, clauses 1-18 so they constitutionally can’t meddle with the autonomy of the states (Tragically, the courts and Congress are ignoring their limited powers in this regard. Read the words of Thomas Jefferson: "I consider the foundation of the Constitution as laid on this ground that 'all powers not delegated to the United States, by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states or to the people.' To take a single step beyond the boundaries thus specially drawn around the powers of Congress, is to take possession of a boundless field of power, not longer susceptible of any definition.") The states are to be free to make laws and conduct their own business as needed according to their particular needs and according to the will of the people of each respective state. As the church isn’t told the how to do its work, the Constitution doesn’t tell individuals states how to carry out physically the provisions of government found in the Constitution. It only tells what to implement without the how of implementation.

As a nation, we have moved closer and closer to centralized government; wherein the states and the people are more and more required to do the bidding of the federal government according to the dictates of Congress which has routinely ignored the Ninth and Tenth Amendments, thus limiting the formula for freedom and liberty the founders worked so hard to deliver. Congress overrides the laws of states and imposes the will of representatives and senators in a one size fits all type of governance that doesn’t consider the needs of the individual states. The effect is a mixture of tyranny (severe penalties for not doing as the federal law requires, thus the force to ensure compliance) and a dictatorship by committee (Congress and courts) that imposes its will on the people in violation of the Constitution.

An example of the dictatorship is the EPA and the Endangered Species Act. (There are others, but these two will serve the explanation.) Congress took upon itself to tell land owners what they could and couldn’t do with their rightfully owned land. All kinds of operations are no longer allowed. Use of land that had water (or has water) on it is curtailed under the wet lands provision since some critter might be affected by the use.  Thus, Congress through these acts and others has become dictators which curtail freedom and liberty.

 The laws which govern the uncalled for and unconstitutional bureaucracies contain provisions for penalties to be given for not following the dictates of the applicable laws. The penalties create the tyranny through the law’s administration, which is actually the force applied for not bowing to the great god called centralized government. In one respect, such governance is no different than the Crown’s conduct toward the people of colonies.

With a  return to the rules set forth in the Constitution, centralized government can be destroyed, and it will enable the people to once again to enjoy the freedom and liberty that the Ninth and Tenth Amendments make possible. Such an autonomous system within set guidelines works for God’s church. Why won’t it work for the nation now as it once did in the early years?  

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